The "Cold Burger" Principle

The one superpower that will make you superhuman at any job.

“How’s your burger?” she asked my husband.

“Um, it’s okay. It’s cold. But it’s fine,” he conceded.

“Oh! I’m so sorry. I can have another one fired and out in 5 minutes.”

“Thank you but that’s okay. I don’t want to get too far behind my wife.”

“Okay, I will take it off your bill then. Again, I’m so sorry.” She hurried away.

“No, no,” he turned and attempted to call after her. “That’s not necessary!” She was out of earshot, lost in the chatter of patio diners.

“I don’t like discounts,” he muttered, more to his meal than to me.

I laughed to myself. He knew better than to complain if he wanted a “no action” response. We’d been coming to this new-ish burger joint almost every Friday night for months. It’s where we slow down, enjoy the fresh air, unpack the week together and plan our weekend. (Also, our house is usually full of the boys’ friends on Friday nights, so we all get some space.)

The food is great, too, especially for Utah. The servers are upbeat, efficient, and empowered to provide an excellent customer experience. It’s obvious they are trained to linger a bit and make conversation at each table.

During this particular visit, we ordered our standard “Three Pepper Bomb” and “PB&J” burgers (yes, peanut butter and jelly on a bacon cheeseburger works; it’s like the teenage love of greasy fast food and childhood made a baby). It was so routine that even though I was distracted on a call with family when our server took the order, my husband ordered my stuff for me. Which is not easy to do; think Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally.

This one …

Not the other one.

So the burger was cold. Several minutes later, our server re-appeared.

“Okay, that burger’s been taken off your bill!”

“I really don’t want it taken off my bill. Even though it’s cold, I’m still eating it. I want to pay because I want you guys to stay in business,” my husband protested.

She smiled, inhaled sharply and, without missing a beat said, “Oh, sir, taking care of issues like this is what keeps us in business.”

She hurried away again.

Here’s the short version of what happened:

“How’s your burger?” > “It’s cold.” > “New, hot burger?” > “No, thank you.” > “Removed burger from your bill.” (Repeat)

In other words …

Ask > Receive > Recommend > Act (Repeat)

This “Cold Burger” feedback loop applies to customer experience, product innovation, change management, strategic planning, cultural transformation, professional development and more.

If you’re not asking for feedback consistently, no matter how scary or painful, you’re missing out on or stalling growth opportunities at all levels (company, team, self).

Feedback is the superpower that fuels superhuman growth.